Learning XPATH for IDM

Novell Cool Solutions: Tip

Problem

A Forum reader asked this question:

"I've created some very cool policies using the built-in wizards, but there is a lot of hidden power in XPATH, JavaScript, etc. within IDM.

Based upon the fact I have a lot of scripting experience but little XML or JavaScript knowledge, where is the best place for me to get started? Any good books, websites, etc.? I will not be attending any official classes since I do not expect any employer to pay for this expanded knowledge.

Are there any "XLST/XPATH for dummies" books relating to IDM?"

And here are a few replies from Forum experts ...

Solution

Father Ramon

I learned XPath and XSLT by reading the specifications from the W3C. There are lots of books out there on those subjects. There are none that specifically talk about applying them to IDM, but the better ones (those that don't focus only on generating HTML) should give you what you need to know about those languages. Be warned that IDM only uses the 1.0 versions of both of those languages, and there are now books available that cover the (yet-to-become-an-appproved-W3C-standard) 2.0 versions. As a personal preference, I would strongly recommend avoiding the "for Dummies" series in general. I in general prefer, the O'Reilly "Nutshell" series, to just about anything else, though they may be a little too concise for some.

To do anything useful in IDM with XSLT and XPath, you also need to understand XDS, which is documented at developer.novell.com.

Perry Nuffer

Here are few sites the I use from time to time to learn or review XML/XSLT/XPATH info:

For what it's worth, I also used the web for this. I also find it easier to test snippets of code outside of IDM by using XML and XSLT files with a standalone parser, such as msxml or Editix5 (which does better error reporting than msxml).